While the hustle and flow of the city neighborhoods are widely appealing to a majority of people in Philly, there is still the Northwest section of Philadelphia that is unique and off the beaten path. The most popular (and smallest neighborhood — square mile size — in Philly) is Manayunk.
YES! Manayunk is a Philly neighborhood, with Philly addresses and a Philly zip code, and all with the same Philly love for dogs!
Manayunk (pronounced Man-ee-unk — the ‘y’ is silent) when translated from the Lenape language means “place where we meet” — well that includes a place for man’s best friend, because this neighborhood caters to the canine crowd.
Only a few short miles from Center City and Billy Penn’s hat (5.8 miles from hat to Main Street), these neighborhoods have carved out a nice niche for themselves and for the expanding resident populations.
Manayunk has one of the best little small business districts, appropriately named Main Street, where you can find many independently owned stores and boutiques, as well as a plethora of restaurants and bars, all with outside seating areas that, YEP, you guessed it…allow dogs!!! If you see outside seating at any restaurant or pub in Manayunk, you can bet that your fur baby is allowed to join you for some grub!
On any given day, no matter what season we are in, you can stroll down Main Street in Manayunk and count the endless amount of dogs and owners walking up and down the street.
A majority of the shops and restaurants are dog friendly and welcome you both!
Bettie greets visitors at The Little Apple.
The Little Apple (a must visit specialty gift shop in the “Yunk”) is definitely a great little gift shop to stop in and visit. It has a variety of unique gift items that appeal to all. More so, you absolutely can not be on Main Street and NOT pop in and say hello to Bettie (and her mom, Brandy) as she greets all customers at the door. Definitely a must see for the pet lovers in the Yunk.
Haley & Jersey run on the tow path.
One of the favorites for the dog loving crowd is the Manayunk Tavern, where you can always find a personal bowl of water with every dog dining table. Not just that, the entire staff will probably greet your dog before they greet you — and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But just don’t stop there, check out other dog loving restaurants like The Goat’s Beard and Lucky’s Last Chance, the latter hosting an annual “hot dog” race on National Hot Dog Day 0f actual…dogs!
To enjoy more of a historic view of Manayunk take a stroll on the tow path.
The tow path is a great running or walking path to take your four-legged friend on for some exercise and socializing along the way. As you make your way down the towpath you can see the different mural arts projects on the path and check out some of the nostalgia of the only canal system that ran along the banks of the Schuylkill River.
Head two blocks east of Main Street to Pretzel Park and check out their uniquely structured dog run. Fenced in by an ornately structured stone wall and a metal fence, it’s a haven for dogs and their owners to play and socialize or just sit on a bench and enjoy the breeze.
Haley & Jersey enjoy the view at Pretzel Park.
There is a doggie water fountain located inside the park during the warm weather months and it’s a pretty cool place to go and chill for a morning or afternoon.
For more info on Manayunk go to manayunk.com or stop by the Manayunk Development Corporation on Main and Cotton Streets.
Thanks for reading my latest edition of Dog Friendly Philly. Keep your eyes open for Northwest Philly, Part 2 coming soon!
Peace. Love. Furriness. Always…
